Game



NOV. 9, 1937. B, L, FlsHER 2,098,417

GAME

Filed July 22, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l NOV. 9, 1937. B FISHER 2,098,417

GAME

Filed July 22, 19:56 2 sheets-sheet 2' #Ireen/EV Patented Nov. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in games and the main object is to provide a game fapparatus comprising a playing board tiltably mounted on a base in such manner that the 5 board may be tilted in any direction and marbles placed thereon may be rolled into pockets or holes in the board having score indicating means to indicate the score made by the marbles as they fall into the pockets.

Another object is to provide a game apparatus of this kind having novel means for releasing the marbles from the pockets and elevating them back onto the playing board for further play.

Another object is to provide a game apparatus l5 of this kind in which the playing board is removable to allow the substitution of other boards having different score markings when desired.

A further object is to provide a game apparatus having av marble release and elevating o mechanism of simple and practical form comprising a release board normally holding the marbles in their sockets but which when moved edgewise drops the marbles onto a sloping carrier board running them down to the elevator which comprises a pvoted arm adapted to swing down to the level of the carrier board to receive the marbles one at a time therefrom and then move back upwardly to deposit the marbles on the playing board.

30 Another object is to provide a novel baffle plate or guard plate which cooperates with the elevator arm in such manner as to prevent the marbles from rolling behind or beneath the said arm when same is raised.

With these and other objects in view the invention resides in the novel construction and arrangement 'of parts as hereinafter fully set forth and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings as showing a preferred 40 embodiment of my invention for purposes of exempliiication.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of my game apparatus.

Figure 2 is a side view.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section along the line 3 3 in Figure 1.

Figure 4- is a cross section along the line 4-'4 in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmental cross sec- 50 tion along the line 5 5 in Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a section along the line 6-6 in Figure 5.

As shown in the drawings my invention includes a box-like body portion or housing 1 of :.5 rectangular form comprising a bottom 8, sides 9, ends I and II, and top I2, the latter being of glass as shown. To the underside of the bottom 8 at a central point a universal ball and socket joint I3 is secured and the lower section thereof is secured to a base board I4 which supports the game as a whole. In this manner the housing 'I may be tilted in any direction about and around the joint I3 as will be understood. Handles I are aiilxed to the housing sides 9 for convenience in this action and rubber bumpers I6 are provided at all four lower cornersto prevent marring the surface on which the game rests should one of these corners come in contact therewith.

The playing board I1 is mounted in the housing 'I parallel with the top I2 and some distance therebelow to provide space I8 for marbles M used in playing the game to roll on the board. This board I'I is rectangular in shape and is slidably mounted at its lateral margins in grooves I8a in the inner faces of the housing sides 9. 'I'he rear end I0 of the housing is removable by swinging its end IIJa out to release its other mortised end Ib and thus by removing this end I0 the board Il may be slipped endwise out of the housing along the grooves I 8a. The end I0 may have a lock (not shown) to hold it in place against unauthorized removal if desired. The board Il is as stated rectangular in shape but has a frontal. corner portion cut out as at I9 to clear the marble elevating mechanism shown at 20 and which will be hereinafter fully described.

The playing board I'I has a plurality of marble pockets or openings 2I arranged in 'any desired spacing and positions and around these pockets, rings 22 are provided each of a different color. The pockets 2| correspond in number to the number of marbles M used in playing the game and each color of the rings 22 has its counterpartin the color of the marbles used.

Slidably mounted below the playing board I1.

is a marble release board 23 having its margins slidable in grooves 24 in the housing sides 9 similar to the mounting of the board I1. At its rear end the release board 23 stands clear of the adjacent rear end I0 of the housing whereby it may be moved endwise toward that end I0 some distance, the space between board and housing end being indicated at 24. An L-shaped bracket 25 is secured to the underside of the release board 23 near its frontal end and a retractile coil spring 26 is hooked to this bracket 25 and stretched therefrom forwardly to a backboard 21 extended crosswise through the housing 'I beneath the playing board II and a short distance inwardly and rearwardly from` the frontal housing end.||. This spring 28 therefore serves to draw' the release board 23 forwardly u ntil' its frontal end stops against the said backboard 21. 'I'he board 23 has release apertures 28 pierced through it in' the same pattern or positions as the marble pockets 42| in the playing board I1 but these apertures are so located that in the normalgposition of the board 23 they will be located forwardly of the pockets 2| and marbles in the pockets will rest on the board 23. Then by sliding the board 23 rearwardly the apertures 28 will come into registry with the pockets 2| and the marbles will fall down through" the apertures out of the pockets, it being obvious that both the lapertures and pockets are substantially larger in diameter than the marbles. To so move the release board 23 I provide a conventional coin controlled slide'mechanism A having a plunger B which may be moved inwardly upon the insertion of a coin and which will contact the bracket 25 to `move the board. The coin then falls to the bottom 8 for subsequent removal. when the rear end I0 is removed;

vA carrier or roll board 29 is mounted in the housing 1 some distance below the release board 23 and slopes downwardly from the rear end I0 to the backboard 21 so that as the marbles M drop through the release board they will fall onto this board 29 and willH roll thereon to the frontal end. An angularly extended guide strip 38 secured to the roll board 29 guides the marbles over to the corner of the board to the junction between the backboard 4and adjacent housing side 9 where an opening 3| is provided in the backboard on a level'with the frontal end of the roll board.

The elevator mechanism 20 is mounted in the space 32 between the frontal housing end and backboard 21 and comprises an elevator arm 33 slightly narrower than this space 32 and pinned at 34 byO one end on an operating shaft 35 which is journaled through the end and backboard 21 at a point some distance inwardly toward the center of the housing from the said opening 3|. This shaft' 35 projects out through the front of the housing 1 and a handle or crank 36 is secured by a screw 31 to its end as shown. By swinging this handle 36 down the elevator arm 33 may be swung down at its free end until the end moves beneath the opening 3|. This free Vencl is beveled off as at 38 so that in the normal position shown in Figure 5 it will be substantially ush with the upper surface of the backboard 21 and also this end is out off at an angle crosswise to the length of the arm and sloping downward from its frontal edge as shown at 39 in Figure 6. A filler block 40 is secured in the space 32 inwardly of the arm 33 and flush with the upper surface of the backboard 21 and a retractile coil spring 4| is secured to the arm and this block to normally elevate the arm as will be understood. The end of the block 40 is beveled oi as at 42 next to the arm 33 and acts vas a stop to limit the upward movement of the arm. Likewise the space between the free end of the arm 33 and adjacent housing side 9 is closed by a smaller ller block 43 as shown.

A swinging baille or guard plate or arm 44 is provided in the space between the elevator arm 33 and adjacent backboard 21 and same is of elongated at form pivotally attached intermediate its ends by a pin or screw 45 to the frontal face of the backboard at about the level of and inwardly from the opening 3|. The inner end of the plate 44 has a longitudinally extended slot 46 and a pin 41 extends through this slot into the face of the elevator arm 33 intermediate its ends. The parts are so located that the free end of the plate 44 then stands extended across the opening 3| when the elevator arm 33 is in its normal upper position shown in Figures 5 and 6. This free end of the plate 44 is laterally enlarged as at 48 to completely or nearly, close the opening 3|. A flexible stop strip, wing or tail 49 of arcuate shape is attached to the free or upper end of the elevator arm by a screw 58 and normally extends inward over the filler block 40 parallel with the frontal housing end as shown.

In operation the marbles as stated run down the carrier board 28 to the opening 3| being guided thereto by the strip 38 and rolling into the opening are stopped by contact with the plate 44 which closes the opening at its frontal side. This opening 3| is of such size that only one marble at a time may roll through it. The handle 36 is then swung downwardly and the elevator arm 33 moves down until its free end reaches the level of the lower margin of the opening while at the same time the resultant downward motion transmitted through the pin 46 to the inner end of the plate 44 elevates the free end of the plate and clears the opening 3| so that a marble may roll therethrough onto the beveled end 38 of the elevator arm. The handle 36 being then released the spring 4| raises the elevator arm 33 until the end 38 reaches the level of the playing board l1 whereupon the slope 33 of the arm end rolls the marble off onto the board |1 ready for play. At the same time the free end of the plate 44 swings back down to close the opening 3| before the next marble has opportunity to roll in beneath the elevator arm as will be understood. The marble is played by tilting the housing 1 in any direction on the joint |3 so that the marble rolls about and finally drops into one of the pockets 2|, the attempt being made to cause the marble to fall into a pocket on which the ring 22 corresponds in color to the color of the marble. As each marble reaches its resting -place in the pocket another is elevated for further play until all marbles are played after which the insertion of a coin in the control A allows the board 23 to be pushed back to drop the marbles onto the carrier board 28 again. The strip 49 keeps the opening behind' or inwardly of the elevator arm 33 closed as same swings downwardly so as to prevent'a marble on the playing board |1 from rolling down into this opening should the arm be moved downward for any reason at this time.

The playing board |1 may be readily removed and replaced with another having rings 22 of different arrangement or colors if desired.

While I have herein set forth a certain preferred embodiment of my invention it is understood that I may vary from the same in minor structural details so as best to provide a practical device for the purposes intended, not departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In a marble game apparatus, the same including a housing, a play board horizontally mounted in the upper part of the housing and upon which marbles may be rolled for play, the board having openings through which the marbles may be dropped, and a carrier board mounted in the housing below the play board and arranged for conveying the marbles forwardly to a xed delivery point, an elevator arranged at the said delivery point, the same comprising an elevator arm pivotally mounted at one end so as to oscillate vertically between the said delivery point of the carrier board and the play board level for the purpose of elevating marbles from the carrier board to the play board, and a baille arm pivoted medially to oscillate across the delivery point of the carrier board in a plane of movement parallel to the plane of movement of the elevator arm, one end of the baille ann overlying a medial point of one face of the elevator armand being slotted longitudinally thereat and a pivot pin passed through said slot of the bafe arm and seated in the elevator arm, whereby depressionof the elevator arm for engaging the marbles from the delivery point of the carrier board will operate to raise the free end of the baille arm to clear said delivery point of the carrier board for admitting marbles from the carrier board onto the elevator arm.

BARNEY L. FISHER. 

